Muslims broke ground in Anchorage, Alaska for the construction of the first mosque in The Last Frontier state on Tuesday. The Islamic Community Center of Anchorage purchased the site for $600,000, Anchorage television station KTUU reported. The construction of the facility is expected to take two years.

"American Muslims have a duty to help educate others about their faith, and a duty to create opportunities for dialogue and frank and open conversations," Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in an address in Anchorage on Tuesday.